It's Christmas Time in the City (of < 10,000)

Well, just a couple more days until Christmas. Do you have all of your shopping done? Kristen and I are hosting Christmas Eve with her folks and brother which, now confirmed, will include an 8-pound beef tenderloin. Now that's a Christmas Eve meal I can live with.

Axel now weighs just a hair over 75 pounds. We're hoping that he's starting to taper off on the growth (at this rate, he'll be about 200 pounds by next summer). Most markedly, he hasn't been back to the vet in a couple months. No swallowed toys or random rashes.

Kristen's been hard at work, at work. We celebrated her first year at the firm last night. It doesn't seem that long to me, but I'm not sure you'd get the same answer from her.

We went to visit my Best Man, Chuck and his wife Brenda over this last weekend. They're expecting a sex-to-be-determined baby in January. They'll be some great parents, as long as we can keep Kristen's brother (and the whiskey-waters) away from Chuck.

My Christmas break just started 30 minutes ago... I'm off until the 2nd. I'd better go kick back with a nice egg nog.

PS: Go Packers? They play the Vikes tonight in an epic race to the bottom of the NFC North. Remember Minnesotans and Wisconsinites: no matter how bad it gets, you could be living in Detroit.

Trick or Treat

Well, the rest of the summer flew by and now Winter feels like it's only a day or two away. We're currently fending Axel off from the trick or treaters that come to the house. Axel continues to single handedly fund the St. Peter Vet clinic. He's allergic to his food, and has been on prescription food since September. We've done the calculations, and if you don't count daycare (which is wishful thinking for us and the parents out there) Axel is more expensive than the infants and toddlers the office. Good thing he's cute. He's still growing like crazy and now weighs 73 pounds.

Mike and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in early October. We spent a long weekend at Grand Superior Lodge where we stayed for our honeymoon last year. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed hiking at Crosby Manitou State Park near Finland, MN.

And in the eighth month, God said: "Let the cabinets have doors." And so they had doors, and the Lord saw they were good, and he was pleased. Mike finished the kitchen cabinet doors and now we can conceal the lack of organization just like any other folks can. Part of the delay can be accounted for by Mike's insistence on relying on the little known book of Abram from the Bible, which required Mike to make all measurements in cubits. For those who are not familiar, the book of Abram is between the books of Vila and Taylor in the construction Bible.

On a sadder note, Sunday my grandmother Olga passed away at age 93 after many years of Alzheimers and most recently breast cancer. My grandmother was a wonderful woman who lived her life with grace and free from judgment all of her days.

Paint, Puppies and Puke...A True Story

As some of you may know, the past ten days have been a source of anguish and joy. As our friends Matt and Stacy welcomed baby boy JD into the world last Wednesday afternoon, Axel was happily destroying a rubber hamburger. Axel ate a good portion of the burger, which he attempted to compensate for by ingesting an equally large portion of grass. The rest is history. After several telephone calls and visits to the vet, and sleepless nights forcing water into our listless hound only to have it promptly "ejected," Axel returned to the vet for emergency care on Saturday the 22nd. His entire gastro-intestinal system had shut down. Axel couldn't keep the barium solution down for the vet to determine what or where any potential problem was, so the only choice left was to operate. After two and a half tenuous days, Axel was able to return home, about seven pounds lighter and with some staples to show for it. The vets at Kind Vet Clinic were absolutely wonderful and took excellent care of Axel. Despite the fact that it was a weekend, we received regular updates on Axel's status. We feel very fortunate to have Axel back with us, and that he had such attentive care.

So what did Mike and I do you wonder (besides worry) while Axel was in the ICU? Well, what any couple would do. We painted the office. At that point, we figured we'd be miserable regardless, so why not paint. Here are the photos of the new green room as we call it. We are pretty pleased with the result, and Mike says his productivity has increased ten fold. Now we only have the guest room and bathroom to go.

Now that Axel has returned home, his adult teeth are getting a workout. He is chewing with a fervor we haven't seen. We've thrown away any toy he had with signs of damage. Other toys that had survived for months as Axel's companions, such as his beloved snake and chicken have been laid to rest. We don't let him out of our sight right now, much to his chagrin.

What does the rest of the summer hold? Celebrations, jury trials and perhaps another camping trip or two. Hope the summer allows you all to spend time doing things you enjoy with friends and family.

GO TWINS!

Hot Radio-Talk-Show-Host-on-Dog Action

Well, it was an interesting four-day weekend at the Swanson ranch. Kristen and I went camping on Saturday night and had my new navigation system pilot us to Blue Mounds State park, which is practically in South Dakota. We had a great time and managed not to have our campsite molested by bears (this time). We tried geocaching for the first time too, with moderate success.

Tuesday was the St. Peter Independence Day extravaganza, which included a 10:00 a.m. parade, BBQ with a couple of the folks from Kristen's firm, and a huge teeming mass of humanity in the park (including a giant slip-n-slide). A great time was had by all. The highlight of the experience had to be meeting Al Fraken, who was in town campaigning for congressional hopeful Tim Walz. As Franken made his way through the parade, he turned and made a bee line toward Axel, exclaiming, "What a beautiful puppy. They just don't get cuter than this!" Axel, apparently excited by the compliment, spent the next several moments slobbering all over Mr. Franken's face. Al then shook my hand and turned to Kristen and said, "Except for you!". Al Franken does indeed have a way at working a crowd, and, if (or, almost certainly when) he runs for Senate, Norm Coleman is going to have to work pretty hard to match people skills. At any rate, I now know that Rick Santorum was indeed right, unchecked liberalism can only lead to one thing. I only hope that Al Franken doesn't mow his lawn in wingtips and a Brooks Brother's suit (ask Kristen about this story).

Axel got neutered earlier this week. In the first day back from his surgery, he managed to break all of the 'rules' regarding post-operative care. He was jumping, climbing, running, licking, etc. We did wait a couple of days before taking him for a nice long walk, but he was starting to get a little unbearable. But, in his defense, we did cut off his balls.

30 Isn't Just a Speed Limit Anymore

As has been so deftly pointed out by my darling husband over the last nine days, thirty is no longer reserved for the speed limit signs in populated areas, it is now my age. When I remind Mike that in one year and eight days he too will be thirty, he quips "What will I care, you'll be thirty-one."

The kitchen is really coming together. Mike has refurbished and installed many of our cabinet drawers and doors. They look great and the drawers allowed us to unpack the last boxes containing items awaiting homes.

Mike also built a cabinet for the dishwasher, including a birch countertop which have been stained a polyed with care. The smell of the poly permeated the basement, the duct work and the house for days. It was similar to having a Sharpie maker available at all hours for your sniffing delight. It looks wonderful and added some much needed counter space to our kitchen.

We can hardly believe how much he has grown up since he joined us in late March. Axel will be five months old soon, and weighs in at 43 pounds. We're finding puppy teeth on the floor at least once a week, as they fall casualty to another chewing bender. We've considered holding an intervention. Is the first thing you think about in the morning is when you can find something to chew on? Do you find your chewing habit is interfering with your relationships? Do you chew when you're alone?

If chewing was an addiction , then Axel would be a prime candidate for a twelve step program. We bought him this tire/frisbee yesterday at Pet Expo. It lasted a total of fifteen minutes. He's on to his third nylabone, and has a stuffed chicken that looks like it has walked through a mine field.

Mike will celebrate his first annual twenty-ninth birthday later this week. As another milestone is reached in our lives, we feel blessed by all the changes life has brought us in recent months. Home ownership, married life, doggy parenthood and St. Peter are suiting us well. We hope your lives are bringing you the same joy and fulfillment.

"We love you, keep in touch and good luck."--John M. Romstad, DDS (aka Doc and DAD).

Mike's a Lumberjack and He's Okay...

As many trees as Mike has felled, he has earned an honorary flannel shirt and some suspenders. Not only has he managed to take down our evil arbor vitaes, but he has single handedly removed seven stumps in the yard as well as our juniper shrubs. Our front yard sure looks different now!! The truly mammoth stump weighed in excess of two hundred pounds. After contemplating a variety of incendiary devices, we finally managed to get the stump in the back of the Element to be delivered at its final resting place, where it will get the Fargo treatment.

As if that wasn't enough, Mike also single handedly installed the necessary plumbing to hook up our dishwasher. After only two minor instances of flooding (it was the valve's fault), we were fighting over who got to do the dishes. What a nice problem to have.

For those of you who are concerned that Mike hasn't had any assistance in the home improvement projects, do not fear. I've managed to frame all of the remaining artwork for our living room walls as well as the individual photographs we ordered from the wedding. I also planted some flowers over the weekend and hung our flower pots and fern outside. Thanks again to Dave S. for the beautiful fern-it looks fabulous out front.

Next on the list of projects is an enclosure for the dishwasher, finishing up the cabinet doors/drawers and painting the rest of the upstairs. Oh, and operation mole mayhem. Our little nocturnal friends will be given their their walking papers in a few hours. Fare thee well, our varmint sqautters. Bill Murray is such an inspiration.

Axel is growing like crazy and keeping us on our toes. He's learned to sit, stay, wait, heel and lie down. He also has mastered the art of chewing. Most toys with any type of stuffing or fur have a short shelf life here. We took Axel swimming yesterday for the first time. He jumped right in to the water to retrieve the balls, but promptly jumped back out. I'm sure the paddling around will follow soon enough.

St. Peter is beautiful in the spring time, and I can only imagine how wonderful this summer will be. Please come and visit soon.

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is finally here. Our trees are budding, our grass is growing, and before long we'll have to contemplate purchasing a lawn mower.

Axel is growing more quickly than the foliage around here. Every day one of us comments on how he looks bigger than the day before. Axel is loving spring every bit as much as he liked playing in the snow. Some of his favorite activities include eating sticks, leaves, pine cones, and chasing us around the yard.

As for the house, we're plugging away. Last weekend we installed new lighting in the kitchen, faceplates on the lights and outlets, and Mike has been working on the kitchen cabinets doors and drawers. Next on the list is having a plumber come out and get a drain installed for a dishwasher. Mike is starting to get dishpan hands. This coming weekend we may start on the eviction of the Arbor Vitaes out front. Envision Mike with a wild look about his eyes, standing in the front yard with a chain saw in one hand, and hatchet in the other. Good thing I know law enforcement around here...

After a hard day's work including crate training, chewing, napping, eating and some more chewing, what's a pup left to do but crash? Axel got a new bed last week to acommodate his rapidly growing frame. This is the only time the mouth isn't trying to bite something, and even then,we can hear him chewing in his sleep sometimes. Last night he slept through the night for the first time. Now if we can just get him to sleep past 6:00 a.m. and teach him about weekends.

House Pictures and More

Disclaimer: In the interest of my not spending the rest of the night uploading pictures, most of these photos aren't of the usual two megapixel variety... I just don't have that kind of time, what with a new house and puppy, you know. Look, just back off, alright. Alright, I may have been a little harsh back there. Sorry about that. It might be the fumes.

First, you'll see that our cabinets were a natural finish with a lovely green inner motif. And, I almost forgot the best part, the shelf paper! I think between Kristen, her mom and dad, and myself, we spent more time pulling off that awful shelf paper than we actually did painting the shelves. Damn the man who invented shelf paper. Damn him. I made sure to upload the picture of the shelf paper in full resolution so you all can share in our hatred.

The shelves got a couple coats of primer before we started painting the frames. The doors will have to be a work-in-progress for the next couple weeks. I've got an idea for a little detail work that'll give me a chance to break-in our new table saw.

The shelves were a job-and-a-half and still aren't completely the way I want them. The finished kitchen will have yellow walls, the blue cabinet backs, white trim and white cabinet drawers. The bright yellow is loads of fun. I'm not sure, however, how Kristen's family feels about the 'Swedish' kitchen. The pot rack (see previous post) also went in and seems to fit pretty well in our bright little kitchen.

The back bedroom (our room) got a new fan and repainted walls and trim. If anyone has any brilliant skills in balancing ceiling fans, please let me know.

The fan doesn't have a 'get your affairs in order' kind of wobble, but considering the guy that installed it, I'd be careful standing underneath it when it's on high speed. And, the Romstad family will be happy to know, yes, it does have a remote.

The living room got new wall paint and was probably the easiest of the rooms so far, since we didn't redo the trim. The chandelier, however, seems to be a nice touch and really classes up ye old rambler. The trailer folk'll be REAL jealous.

Our new Target Boutique curtains also compliment the living room. Again, the installer could have done a better job, as they seem to want to pull out of the wall (time to go wild with the drywall anchors). The two pictures at right are looking in the same general direction at the same window.

In other news...

Axel had his first vet visit (under our supervision) today. He was very good. We're getting him what I'm calling the 'outdoorsman' series of shots so that we can take him camping and all over God's green Earth.

The vet seemed to think that he was in good health but said we should make sure to keep Mr. Tubby lean. He's been marvelous while I've been working; he just sits and naps under my desk all day. For those of you who haven't checked out the AxelCam, it is just a click away (during my normal work hours, anyway).

Have We Ever Been Busy

This is honestly the first time in two weeks that I've been able to sit down at a computer without being at work. Needless to say, kind of a lot of stuff has happened since the last time I posted.

Kristen and I closed on the house on Thursday, March 9th (a day early, even). In between the 9th and today, we've been working madly to prepare the house for living and for Axel.

We painted our bedroom, the living room and the kitchen. We installed a ceiling fan (which I can't seem to figure out how to balance) and a couple light fixtures. We also repainting the kitchen cabinets and the trim in the bedroom. Most days we worked until 11 p.m. and I was also able to take a couple days off from work to putz with the house.

The painting went relatively well -- although the cabinets took more coats than I really would have liked. I think by the time we have the doors back on them, the kitchen will look quite nice.

This Monday night, I also installed a pot rack in the kitchen. That experience couldn't have possibly gone worse (there's some extraneous holes in the ceiling that I'm working on patching). All things considered, it looks alright. I was able to anchor it to a couple studs, so it shouldn't come crashing down on anyone's head. Although we've got a lawyer in the family, it is still always good to try to limit your liability.

Axel came home last night. Grandma Dawn was sad, I'm sure, but she is welcome to come and visit our little man any time she wants. Axel was very well-behaved, all things considered, and we were even able to get a few winks of sleep last night. He's been very good today and has let me work pretty much undisturbed all day today. He just laid, semi-conscious at my feet without so much as a peep... Except when he had to do his business.

More photos of the house soon...

T-minus Five Days...

The garage is rapidly filling now. I've managed to get most of the big stuff out there by the use of a dolly and by sliding things down the stairs. The stairs continue to taunt me, but, for the most part, everything (including me) has managed to make the trip to the garage unscathed. Hopefully on moving day, the only big thing we'll have to move out of the apartment is the bed. This has to be the shortest move I've ever made; the irony of having to do all this work to only move a mile and-a-half away certainly hasn't escaped me.

Kristen and I are fast preparing for the closing day. We'll probably start painting that Friday night. We're supposed to have our final walk-through on Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Let's hope the sellers have everything out by then. We haven't heard back about the radon yet, but we're hoping to have that resolved before or shortly after our closing.

Dawn let us come over to play with Axel and the other puppies last week. We were able to do a few dominance tests on our little man. It looks like we'll have to make sure he knows that Kristen and I are the boss(es), but he'll be fine -- he seems very smart and, although most of the puppies seemed to care less about retreiving at this point, Axel at least made a marginal effort. Sure is a cute little devil. We're still planning to pick him up on Sunday the 19th. Although we won't have much of a routine established for ourselves, we'll try to pretend for Axel.

We spent the better part of the day yesterday at the Depot and Mendards. We picked out all new hardware for the kitchen cabinets and made our final selections for our paint. We'll have twelve colors in all and will try to paint the entire upstairs before too long. We also spent some time at 'Pet Expo' in Mankato and picked out an extendable leash, bowls and some other stuff for the dog. We definitely want to get our bedroom and the living room done before we invite our little hairy, mischievous puppy to come live with us.

Sunday has been spent packing, with a short departure to church and Mankato to pick up a gift for one of Kristen's coworkers. We're running out of boxes and paper to pack dishes in. Perhaps we'll just have to throw away whatever we can't pack.

Back to work. Yay.

Grr! My Back!

Alright, two days of packing down and a weekend shot to hell. What fun. We went over to Kristen's brother's new house yesterday as well. At the very least we have someone that can share our misery.

The garage is quickly becoming the base-of-moving-operations. Although I'm locking the garage door, half of me wishes that someone would come and steal all of our crap so we have less to move. Moving is like file compression... The redundant and useless stuff gets thrown out. I'm just hoping that when we get everything over to the new house, we're not all pixelated.

On the way back from Kristen's brother's place, we stopped at Cabella's in Owatonna for me to spend the gift card I received from Kristen's folks for my Master's graduation. Aside from being a frickin' natural history museum, that store is just overwhelming. I need an advisor to assist me in best spending my gift card. If anyone has any great ideas, let me know...

We received the results of our radon test today. We're just a little higher than the EPA recommends. I have this image in my mind from the movie Airplane! where the gauge is reading 'A Little Hot'.

So, it looks like we'll have to look into radon mitigation and how much that'll cost us... This makes me wonder about our 100-year-old house in Granton and what the radon readings were like there. As one of Kristen's professors was fond of saying, we live a 'frail and transitory existence and ye knoweth not when the man with the sickle cometh to take you away.' (Doug Heidenreich) However bad the radon is, it won't suck as much as our toxic black mold.

Kristen and I bought some moving supplies from the Depot two nights ago. We'll probably spend the better part of this weekend packing things up. According to our realtor, we're still on-schedule to close by the 10th of March. We'll probably move all of the big stuff on the 18th.

Time to get to work...

Unconditional Acceptance-A Contract It Is

It's official-the bank has deemed us worthy enough to loan money to us at a substantial profit. Bless their hearts. But in all seriousness, we've had a wonderful experience with our loan officer, Wanda. So closing day is March 10, at a place and time to be determined. The next few weeks will be filled with packing and commitments to paint colors.

The photos above are in our kitchen. We want to paint the kitchen Sweet Chamomile (Behr paint) and painting the cabinets white. We'll be redoing the countertops eventually in blue. A wedding gift from Monica and Karen has inspired our decor.

The master bedroom is currently pale pink. We're going to be painting the bedroom Glacial Tint (Behr) with other blue accents.

In other news, Axel, the wonder dog, weighed in today at a hefty 7.7 pounds. He is five weeks old today, and will be joining our household madness on Sunday the 19th, once the move is complete. After going to Dawn's house on Sunday, we've decided to get him his own tent. Check it out.

Don't worry, we'll stop short of the doggie outfits. Here's Axel chewing on a toy. Not as cute as Andrew Knoff, but as close as we're going to get for quite some time.